the middleton manhttps://themiddletonman.wordpress.com
Putting it into words...Thu, 24 May 2018 19:37:40 +0000enhourly1http://wordpress.com/https://secure.gravatar.com/blavatar/9ec8e9e98ff3b86e0b13079034177fd9?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fs0.wp.com%2Fi%2Fbuttonw-com.pngthe middleton manhttps://themiddletonman.wordpress.com
Ursula’s had a make-over!https://themiddletonman.wordpress.com/2015/06/26/ursulas-had-a-make-over/
https://themiddletonman.wordpress.com/2015/06/26/ursulas-had-a-make-over/#respondFri, 26 Jun 2015 11:47:35 +0000http://themiddletonman.com/?p=153517Ursula Minor has been busy getting herself a new cover and got herself a new distributor in the guise of Smashwords in addition to Amazon and Nook. Here’s the result…

On vacation in the Green Mountains of Vermont, Ursula Harding’s bullying husband takes things too far. When he attempts to kill her, she turns the tables.

Confused and scared she finds herself on terrifying journey that starts when a sinister young man forces his way into her life.

The roller-coaster journey that he takes her on reveals some truths about herself, her children and the man she thought she knew so well whilst, at the same time, exposing the terrible secrets of the small town community in which she lives.

]]>https://themiddletonman.wordpress.com/2015/04/15/coming-soon-bottle-island-ginger-to-the-rescue/feed/0themiddletonmanDSC06954Views on the Street: Post Copenhagenhttps://themiddletonman.wordpress.com/2015/03/10/views-on-the-street-post-copenhagen/
https://themiddletonman.wordpress.com/2015/03/10/views-on-the-street-post-copenhagen/#respondTue, 10 Mar 2015 12:31:17 +0000http://themiddletonman.com/?p=116449Interesting soundbites and relevant to all who advocate Free Speech
]]>https://themiddletonman.wordpress.com/2015/03/10/views-on-the-street-post-copenhagen/feed/0themiddletonmanBiffo the oblivious dog…https://themiddletonman.wordpress.com/2014/12/04/biffo-the-oblivious-dog/
https://themiddletonman.wordpress.com/2014/12/04/biffo-the-oblivious-dog/#respondThu, 04 Dec 2014 13:50:53 +0000http://themiddletonman.com/?p=48931I had the following text from a friend today. (Names and places have been changed to protect the innocent!)

‘Morning, your not feeling the need for a dog are you? The saga continues about Biffo – Sue’s dog. Basically before we went to Barcelona they decided they couldn’t cope anymore with him. They rang the breeders who had Biffo’s brother and he went there. They’ve now had a phone call to say the couple are splitting up and if they don’t have him back by Friday he will be put to sleep. John has rung the Dog Trust and he could be there for 3 weeks so Sue is doing her usual hysterical bit. XXXX”

Now, I love dogs but my current lifestyle prevents me from adopting little Biffo. However my heart goes out to him and he is likely to be oblivious to all the human fall out which he is currently surrounded by and the death threat that hangs over his head. I’m sure it won’t come to that as healthy dogs don’t get the needle these days, but with Christmas around the corner he’s not likely to be rehoused if he’s at risk of being a seasonal present.

If I could have my way I would put Sue and John in the pound over Christmas for messing Biffo around and for taking on something they hadn’t thought through in the long term.

Merry Christmas Biffo…

]]>https://themiddletonman.wordpress.com/2014/12/04/biffo-the-oblivious-dog/feed/0themiddletonmanNovember Challenges – Grow Moustache? Write Novel? Make Cake?https://themiddletonman.wordpress.com/2014/11/13/november-challenges-grow-moustache-write-novel-make-cake/
https://themiddletonman.wordpress.com/2014/11/13/november-challenges-grow-moustache-write-novel-make-cake/#respondThu, 13 Nov 2014 10:52:21 +0000http://themiddletonman.com/?p=34128We are almost halfway through ‘Movember’ now and still I’m beardless. Not because I’m follically challenged around the chin area but simply because I prefer to set my own personal grooming calendar. It’s a fact that whenever I get wind of a new craze I run in the opposite direction. If I’d got a beard already at the start of November I’d have shaved it off in my own personal protest and, if I kept goats, I’d make sure they were beardless too for the whole month.

Last month there were people throwing buckets of ice-cold water over each other, for what reason I don’t know as I couldn’t be bothered to find out. All I know is that the trend left me with severe hydrophophia and a yearning to replace buckets of ice with very sharp objects.

So what is this need for people to assimilate whatever new fad or trend that gets publicised on social media and eventually into mainstream media? Psychologists refer to it as the herd instinct, a tendency for individuals to gravitate towards the same thing and copying behaviour. It evidently stems from early learning behaviour in that copying what someone else is doing is safe and likely to be advantageous to them in the long run.

Try this little test the next time you’re in a supermarket. This is something that happens to me on a regular basis and drives me crazy. Think of the most obscure product you can think of – for example olives stuffed with anchovies, then go to the aisle where you’ll find them tucked away on a bottom shelf as nobody wants these things on a regular basis. Now bend down, pick up the can and read the label. Hey presto! You should have someone standing over you by now pacing up and down waiting for you to move so they can go and have a look at what you’ve found. It works every time. Now go to the pet aisle and pick up a box of budgie seed and you’ll be surprised how many budgie owners will be standing behind you pecking over your shoulder.

But it doesn’t have to be a supermarket. Just stop outside any shop window and look in. It’s a great way to find new company.

Okay, maybe I’m just being a grumpy old git, but it’s something that just gets under my skin.

And now, its NaNoWriMo – National Novel Writing Month when people are invited to put pen to paper to bring out that novel they’ve had burning inside them for years. You’ve got a month to commit to 50,000 words and make pledges to family and friends that you are going to get to the end of your masterpiece – even if it means locking yourself in the toilet with your tablet for a whole month.

I started a novel in September and guess what? I’m having a month off…

]]>https://themiddletonman.wordpress.com/2014/08/01/blue-penguin-blues/feed/0themiddletonmanblue-penguinLlandinam Country Showhttps://themiddletonman.wordpress.com/2014/05/05/llandinam-country-show/
https://themiddletonman.wordpress.com/2014/05/05/llandinam-country-show/#respondMon, 05 May 2014 10:02:28 +0000http://themiddletonman.com/?p=475A great day out in Llandinam amongst the horses and hounds!

]]>https://themiddletonman.wordpress.com/2014/05/05/llandinam-country-show/feed/0themiddletonmanHorse & Rider _221Welsh Hounds 1_219Welsh Hounds 2_220Woman’s Hourhttps://themiddletonman.wordpress.com/2014/04/16/welcome/
https://themiddletonman.wordpress.com/2014/04/16/welcome/#respondWed, 16 Apr 2014 08:56:23 +0000http://themiddletonman.com/?p=466Woman’s Hour is exploring the diversity of women in the media. Should be interesting stuff. Don’t know much about broadcast media but do know that women are well represented in my own newspaper and journals contact list and I couldn’t do without you!!!.
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